S. Brooke Milne, UWO Page 1 10/23/2005 Investigating Pre
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Investigating Pre-Dorset Inland Occupations on Southern Baffin Island (Nunavut Archaeology Permit 04- 06A) S. Brooke Milne During the 2004 summer field season, S. Brooke Milne (University of Western Ontario) conducted archaeological survey and test excavation in the Mingo and Amadjuak Lake Districts of south central Baffin Island. Students from the University of Waterloo, McMaster University, and Queens University were members of the field crew as was a high school student from the Hamlet of Igloolik. The principal objective was to locate additional Pre-Dorset inland sites. Prior to 2004, only three Pre-Dorset inland site components had been identified and investigated; thus, much of what we presently know about this culture’s lifeways is biased towards the marine adaptation. Given this critical knowledge gap, the long-term objectives for this research project are to build on the limited available data of Pre-Dorset inland occupations, and to examine the function and role of these sites within the broader context of this culture’s overall seasonal settlement pattern on the island. In the early 1990s, Douglas Stenton investigated the Thule and Inuit occupation of the Mingo and Amadjuak Lake Districts, and discovered dozens of sites. While Stenton observed evidence of Palaeoeskimo cultural activity at several locales, specific cultural designations could not be made given the limited nature of the material remains and lack of diagnostic types. Consequently, several of these locales were revisited in 2004 with the intention of confirming their cultural affinity by means of extensive subsurface testing. In the Mingo Lake District, two Pre-Dorset sites were relocated. The first site, LdFa-1, yielded evidence indicating an intensive Pre-Dorset occupation. Dozens of burins, burin spalls, bifaces, microblades, informal tools, and cores were found in addition to thousands of lithic debitage. Moreover, preservation at the site was very good and a sizeable faunal assemblage was recovered, as were several worked organic artifacts, including sewing needles. What is especially interesting about LdFa-1 is the Dorset occupation that was discovered during testing. Diagnostic Dorset artifacts found include a serrated stemmed endblade and asymmetrical knife. Thousands of lithic debitage were found densely concentrated in the Dorset tested units indicating the importance of tool production at this site. The Dorset component also had good preservation resulting in the recovery of an extensive caribou faunal assemblage, as well as numerous sewing needs and worked organic pieces. At present, this is only the second Dorset occupation known in the interior region of the island. Preliminary interpretations of both Palaeoeskimo components suggest this site was an important destination for caribou hunting and tool production in the Mingo Lake District. The second Mingo Lake Pre-Dorset site is situated roughly half a kilometer away from LDFa-1 and is located on a raised terrace roughly 100 meters away from the Mingo Lake shoreline. This site is also rich having yielded dozens of formal Pre-Dorset artifacts and thousands of lithic debitage. However, few faunal remains were found and there were no visible tent ring structures. Further investigation of this site had been intended; however, the unusual and unexpected appearance of polar bears in the vicinity curtailed further testing. Regardless, this second Pre-Dorset site confirms the importance of tool production in the interior region; however, given the abundant sources of naturally occurring chert observed on the surface throughout this area, it is not surprising that tool production was of central importance at these sites. Three sites were located along the shores of the Mingo River roughly 2 kilometers north of where it drains into Amadjuak Lake. The first site (LeDx-9), previously investigated by Stenton was interpreted as a residential, logistical, and storage site given the numerous caches, inukshuks, and tent rings, yielded surface evidence of a burin spall, broken microblade fragments, and numerous chert flakes. Stenton also found lithic artifacts at the site; however, no artifact specifically associated with Pre-Dorset or Dorset peoples were located at that time. The surface collection at LeDx-9 confirms Stenton’s interpretations that the site was used from the earliest Palaeoeskimo period through the historic period. The second Mingo River site (field designated MR-1) is located approximately 500 meters directly across the river on the south shore from LeDx-9. Dozens of diagnostic Pre-Dorset artifacts were recovered and thousands of lithic debitage. There is also an extensive faunal assemblage further indicating the importance of caribou hunting in this interior region. To the southeast of MR-1 there are dozens of stone cairns clustered on the landscape (MR-2). These cairns appear to form a type of drive, which may have functioned to direct caribou towards to Mingo River where they could be easily caught in the rapids nearby MR-1. The cairns have considerable lichen cover on their surfaces and appear very old. The last site (MR-3) located in the Mingo River District is also situated on the south shore of the river and is approximately 300 meters away from MR-1 and MR-2. This site comprises four heavily constructed tent rings located on the edge of a bedrock outcrop bordering S. Brooke Milne, UWO Page 1 10/23/2005 the river. While subsurface testing was conducted, few artifact remains were found with the exception of a burin spall and roughly two-dozen chert flakes. The sites located during the 2004 field season have in effect nearly tripled the known inventory of inland Pre- Dorset sites on southern Baffin Island. This preliminary testing further confirms the importance of this inland region for the acquisition of lithic raw material and lithic tool production and it provides the first definite evidence that the Pre-Dorset intensively hunted caribou here. Figure 1. Inukshuk marking the location of the meat caches at site LEDx-9. View looking southwards across the Mingo River towards sites temporarily designated as MR-1 and MR-2. Figure 2. Crewmembers Elizabeth Qaunaq (Igloolik) and Ryan Shackleton screening back dirt at LdFa-1, Mingo Lake, Baffin Island. S. Brooke Milne, UWO Page 2 10/23/2005 .